Antitheft construction for vehicle fuel tanks



Dec. 12, 1933. w. F. WAHL ANTITHEFT CONSTRUCTION FOR VEHICLE FUEL TANKS Filed Se t 21, 1932 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 12, 1933 r 1,939,423

UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE ANTITHEFT CONSTRUCTION FOR VEHICLE FUEL TANKS William F. Wahl, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor of one-tenth to August 0. Winters, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application September 21, 1932 Serial No. 634,111 1 '1 Claims. (01. 220 -86) This invention relates to improvements in antiin section the improved anti-theft construction, theft constructions of vehicle fuel tanks. said View being indicated. on line 11 of Fig. 3; The ordinary fuel or gasoline tank for a motor Fig, 2 is a detail sectional view taken on line vehicle is provided with a cap closed filling neck, 22 of Fig. 1; and vehicle owners have been subjected to the Fig. 3isa sectional view through the filling tube 99 annoyance of having fuel stolen through the taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; I I medium of siphoning tubes inserted into the Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the upper tanks through the filling necks. portion of the tank showing the anti-theft con- It is, therefore, the primary object of the pres- Struct i v fl and ent invention to provide'an anti-theft construcg. 5 is a p V W' f the filling tube Showing 85 tion applicable, with relatively little modificathe integral air-Vent fl tion, to standard fuel tanks for vehicles, and con- Referring now more particularly to the draw! structed so as to prevent theinsertion of a flexiing it will appear that the numeral 8 indicates ble tube into the tank proper with the result that a standard gasoline or fuel tank for a motor 5'" the theft of fuel, through siphoning, will be vehicle, said tank being of the type having a limited to a negligible quantity. curved or-rounded top 9. A filling opening 10 Heretofore, devices have been proposed for the is conveniently located in said top and a filling prevention of tank'fuel theft by siphoning, but n k of u a form in cross-section, in all such prior devices bafiies, restrictive walls, tends angularly upwardly from the opening and or inner containers'have been arranged within tank top. An important aspect of the invention the fuel tank adjacent the filling neck in such is that the body portion of said filling neck is manner that said arrangements seriously hinder of standard diameter and its upper end poror retard the introduction of gasoline into the tion is arranged to be controlled by astandard, .tank. removable closure cap (not shown). 5 The present invention overcomes the above vThe low r d po tio of the filling neck 1 objection by providing a construction whichin is formed with an annular attaching flange12 no way retards the introduction of fuel and in adapted to surround the tank filling opening 10, addition, guarded air vents are provided which and said attaching flange merges into an uppermit discharge of air from the'tank displaced wardly offset air-vent protecting flange 13. by the introduced liquid. Adapted to cooperate with the filling neck 11 is 85 A further object of the invention is to provide a filling tube 14 depending into the tank. 9 and a tank fuel anti-theft construction which permits formed at its upper end portion with an annular the use of a filling neck of standarddiameter, flange 15underlying the flanges 12 and 13 of the which is extremely easy to assemble and mount filling neck. Bolts 16 extended through the within the tank, and which may be readily disflange 12, the peripheral portions of the flange assembled for cleaning or repairs. 15 and the tank top 9 around the opening 10 A further object of the invention is to proconnect the members 11 and 14 together and to vide a tank fuel anti-theft'construction mountthe tank top. The flange l5, inwardly of its able Within the tank adjacent the top thereof periphery and below the protecting flange 13, is 40 to permit. of maximum protected tank capacity. formed with vent openings 1'7. As shown in Fig.

A further object of the invention is to pro- 1, said vent openings communicate directly with vide an antiheft construction for vehicle fuel the interior of the tank 8 so as to readily permit tanks which is very simple, is strong and durable, the. escape of air displaced by fuel pumped into is eflicient in operation, and is well adapted for the tank, and said vent openings are guarded and the purposes described. protected by the raised flange 13 whereby they With the above and other objects in view the are inaccessible so far as the insertion of a invention consists of the improved 'anti theft small tube or instrument is concerned. constructionfor vehicle fuel tanks, and its parts The lower side wallportion of the filling tube.

and combinations as set forth in the claims, and 14 is formed with arectangular cut-out or opening 50 all equivalents thereof. V 18 and said opening is laterally offset withre- In the accompanying drawing in which the spect to the longitudinal vertical plane of the tank same reference characters indicate the same extended through the axis of the tube 14. The parts in all of the views: 7 tube 14, on opposite sides of said opening 18, is a Fig. 1 is a longitudinal, fragmentary sectional provided with guide lugs 19. 55 view of an upper portion of a fuel tank showing Adapted for disposition within the upper portion of the tank 8 and detachably carried by and registering with the filling tube 14, is a receptacle 20 having a liquid capacity of about one pint. Said receptacle 20 is shaped as best shown in Figs.

1, 3 and 4, being relatively narrow and deep at its inner end and having an upwardly outwardly curved bottom 21 to give it a spout-like construction and action. The inner end of the receptacle is formed as a cylindrical sleeve 22 to surround the filling tube 14, and the proper disposition of said receptacle with respect to the axis of the filling tube is insured by the guide lugs 19 which engage the inner side wall portions of the receptacle, as in Fig. 3, and direct it at an angle to the longitudinal plane of the tank. This directional disposition of the receptacle is of considerable importance where said inner receptacle is used in a tank with a curved top for the reason that thereby the receptacle is disposed as close as pos- 20 sible to the top wall 9 of the tank which aids in minimizing the amount of fuel which might possibly be stolen by siphoning. g

A bolt 23 extends through the bottom portions of the sleeve 22 and tube 14 and detachably holds said parts together. A bafile block 24, having a curved surface 25, is mounted within the lower end of the tube 14 so as to deflect incoming liquid through the opening 18 and into the receptacle 20. The top of the receptacle 20 is open and is g; covered by a screen 26. V

In use the anti-theft construction is assembled and mounted within the vehicle fuel tank 8 as shown. When the tank is to be filled with fuel the nozzle end of a gasoline pump hose is inserted into the standard diameter filling neck 11 in the 'usual manner and gasoline is pumped through the hose. The gasoline passes into the filling tube 14 and strikes the curved surface 25 of the baffle block 24, and is directed through'the opening 18 m: into the receptacle 20. Said receptacle 20 has a relatively small capacity and quickly fills, and the tank proper is filled by overflow from the receptacle 20 through the screenedopen top. During filling action of the tank air is freely discharged 4 from the tank through the vent openings 17 which are in direct registration with the interior of the tank. Inflow of gasoline is in no way retarded by the anti-theft construction, and is aided by the spout-like formation of the inner recep- 59 tacle 20.

w ,The tank 8 may be filled to any desired level and under all conditions, after gasoline introduction, the inner receptacle'20 will be filled. If a siphon tube is inserted into the filling neck, at best 5 Ait can only be extended into the receptacle 20 and all that can be siphoned from the tank is the fuel contained in the receptacle 20, which is a negligible quantity. If the fuel tank 8 is filled tocapacity the amount of fuel available by siphoning will be the capacity of the receptacle 20 plus the level between the receptacle top and" the top of the tank However, due to the angular disposition of the receptacle 20 and its consequent proximity to the top of the tank, this amount is minimized. .Obviously the anti-theft construction is readily "removable and separable for repairs and cleaning.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved anti-theft construction for vehicle fuel tanks is both simple and novel, and is '{0 well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What I claim as my inventionis:

1. The combination with a liquid fuel tank having a top filling opening, ofa downwardly projecting tubular member set in said opening and having a closed lower end and an aperture in a side thereof, and a separate open top, spout-like receptacle removably secured at one end to said tubular member and in communication with the aperture therein and extending laterally from said tubular member at an angle to the vertical planev of the fuel tank and with its open top in close proximity to the top of the fuel tank.

2. The combination with a liquid fuel tank having a top filling opening, of a downwardly projecting tubular member set in said opening and havinga closed lower end and an aperture in a side thereof, and an open top, spout-like receptacle removably secured at one end to said tubular member and in communication with the aperture therein and extending laterally from said tubular member at an angle to the vertical plane of the fuel tank and in close proximity to the top thereof, said receptacle being relatively narrow and having an upwardly outwardly curved bottom whereby said receptacle is relatively deep at its inner end and is shallow at its outer end.

'3. The combination with a liquid fuel tank having a top filling opening, of a downwardly projecting tubular member set in said opening and having a closed lower end and an aperture in a side thereof, and an open top, spout-like receptacle formed at its inner end with a sleeve surrounding the tubular member, said receptacle disposed with its open top in close proximity to a wall of the fuel tank, means for correctly positioning the receptacle with respect to the tubular member and the aperture therein, and other means for detachably securing said sleeve to the tubular member.

4. The combination with a liquid fuel tank having a top filling opening, of a downwardly projecting tubular member set in said opening and having a discharge opening in a side wall portion and a baffle in the lower portion to direct liquid toward said discharge opening, and an open top, spout-like receptacle removably sehaving a top filling opening, of a downwardly projecting tubular member set in said opening and having a discharge opening in a side wall portion and a. baille in the lower portion to direct liquid toward said discharge opening, an open top, spout-like receptacle formed at its inner end with a sleeve surrounding the tubular member, said receptacle being disposed with its open top in close proximity to a wall of the fuel tank, means for correctly positioning the receptacle with respect to the tubular member and the discharge opening therein, and other means for detachably securing said sleeve to the tubular m emher, said receptacle being relatively narrow and having an upwardly, outwardly curved bottom whereby said receptacle is relatively deep at its inner end and is shallow at its outer end.

6. The combination with a liquid tank having a top filling opening, of a downwardly projecting tubular member set in said opening, an inner receptacle carried by and in communication with said tubular member, there being air vent means in said tank adjacent the filling opening, and a filling neck extending. outwardly from said filling opening and formed at its inner end portion with a flange spaced from and guarding said vent openings.

communication with said tubular member, and a filling neck extending outwardly from said filling opening 7 and having an offset, horizontal flange at its lower end portion overhanging and spaced from the vent flange of the tubular member.

WILLIAM F. WAHL. 

